After Mumbai and Thane were flooded, on Wednesday the Shiv Sena has blamed encroachments along river banks for waterlogging.
According to the Hindustan Times, Shiv Sena has has blame the encroachments saying that it has effectively shirking the Mumbai and Thane civic bodies’ responsibility to clean drains and nullahs. In it's mouthpiece Saamana, the Sena said, “Why don’t we recognise that the slums and houses built in the coastal areas are encroachments? This time there was flooding in national park. Mithi and Dahisar rivers overflowed. Who are the ones encroaching on the banks of Mithi? It has become some people’s job to blame cleaning of drains. The nullahs, too, have been encroached upon and when civic workers go to remove them, they are attacked.”
The Saamana's editorial further said that, CM Devendra Fadnavis, who is on the first leg of his Mahajanadesh Yatra, must have got the news about the losses. “He is merciful. Everything will be alright. Nature’s fury can lead to destruction, but at times destructive is better than drought. As long as the disaster management mechanism is on alert, disasters can be averted,” the editorial read.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut last month defended the BMC after Mumbai was flooded following heavy rains. Last weekend, intense rainfall, coupled with high tide, brought the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to a standstill again, with nullahs overflowing and tracks and roads submerged.
